Melting Spring
by P0g0Stick
Summary: Together, our actions are dictated by the phase of the moon. Normal children, they blossom and thaw in the spring. Instead, we began to freeze again. SasuHina.
1. When

Melting Spring

x.x.x

p0g0stick

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**Alright, so I came up with this little ditty early in the morning, and really liked the idea...ah, I have no clue what the plot really is or what will happen, so this is one of those crack stories. I have no clue how it will turn out or even if I will continue it past this one chapter. ****So, anyway, if you sort of like it, don't be scared to leave a review.****(CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS WELCOME).**

**Just don't use my story(s) to vent out your anger over the pairing. (:**

**XXX**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. But Kishimoto does. And I can bribe him...or not.

**XXX**

The streetlights lining Konoha's streets were slowly dying out, one by one.

It wouldn't be long until the young girl would be left in complete darkness.

But she didn't mind. It was strangely comforting—the darkness—it didn't judge her or criticize her, just sat there, thick and damp, listening wisely to her thoughts.

The young girl had been sitting on the bench since the early signs of dusk, and continued watching as people walked by.

People didn't look, let alone notice her—she was used to this and incredibly thankful for it, for at a young eight years old, the young girl didn't need any more criticism than what was already dished out for her.

When she had first sat, the bench had been cold and slippery from the sleet that fallen earlier. It was now late January, and instead of receiving steady snow falls, Konohagakure was receiving wet sleet and on occasion, rather large pebbles of hail.

It hadn't been long until the water lying on the bench's surface had seeped into her pants' fabric, but it didn't bother her much. At first she had squirmed slightly, feeling the cold liquid against her thighs and bottom. But she had gotten used to it, as her body adjusted its temperature back to normal.

A long, moaning wind blew by, barely lifting her chin-length hair, and making her shudder, pulling her large jacket closer.

What time was it now?

Surely it was well past one in the morning, the only people on the streets were the drunk's, shuffling home, too wasted to care what was going on in the town.

A few low street lamps still emitted a soft light, and half of the young girl wanted to actually run as fast as she could back to her home, crawl into her bed and rock into a deep sleep.

But she had come to this bench to escape that home. That was the initial plan. To escape her home life, for a few hours, let the outside world soothe her, and then slowly creep back into the Hyuuga compound.

Of course, she was still just a child, and failed to realize the sheer stupidity of going out and being by one self at such a late hour, especially since she was from a rather wealthy and well-known clan. There were a lot of dangers on the streets at night, even if Konohagakure was known for being relatively safe.

However, it was winter, and Hyuuga Hinata knew that no one sane would be out at this time—bar her, of course, because she was pretty sure something about her wasn't sane—and she also knew even if someone had found her missing, they wouldn't come out looking. It was perfectly normal for Hinata to be sneaking out at all hours—she always came back.

Whenever her father was alerted, he'd just shift in his bed, grumbled and murmur, "You woke me up for this? You fool, she'll be back. She's just like her mother."

Hinata knew this because she had heard him say so one early morning as she was entering the house, and had crept by his room to reach her own.

If it had been any other child, they would have felt their heart shatter and probably cry, knowing that their father didn't care one ounce about them to even send out one person just to check and make sure that the girl was actually in the vicinity of the town.

But this wasn't just any other child, this was Hyuuga Hinata, and she in fact felt a large swell of pride and happiness. Her father had compared her to her late mother.

This was all that mattered. It was if she had just been congratulated for being like her mother, like her father had just pulled her into a tight embrace and spoken to her with a prideful tone, "You did fantastic, just fantastic."

Hinata pulled her legs up from their position; they had been dangling off over the edge of the bench and were numb.

A single light was left; she was now consumed in complete darkness. It was about a block down from where she sat, and she watched it, fascinated by its glow.

Her lips had been quivering sometime now from the cold, and she nearly forgot about it until she licked her bottom lip, it was slowly becoming dry and she didn't have anything to coat them with to protect the thin skin there.

Papers blew across the street; she could see them because of how white they were against the dark tar of the roads.

The moon was but a sliver of pallid pearl, hung high in the sky. If you looked too fast, you could easily miss it.

Hinata began tracing shapes with her petite fingers, connecting the stars with invisible lines.

She was tiny, this she knew. The young girl was the smallest of all of the other children her age in Konohagakure. Ino and Sakura were both equally tall and willowy, there forms already taking a strong, feminine shape even at eight years old. Tenten, an elder girl who occasionally hung around with Hinata's elder cousin, Neji, was even tall—but the tomboy didn't show much of a feminine streak. Still...she was tall. And that's all that mattered.

Hyuuga Hinata was the runt of the litter.

But she rarely hung out with the other children of the town. Besides being kept prisoner the majority of the time inside the Hyuuga compound, her free time was wasted just sitting inside the shadows and watching as the others fought, teased, laughed and played.

She wasn't very extroverted.

"What are you doing?"

The voice was quiet, but was ear-shattering in the night's silence.

Her hand paused, mid-way in connecting eight stars together to create a fish.

She felt a sickly warm feeling coat her insides. It felt like she was coming down with a fever.

Hinata turned, and found a small boy about her age staring back at her. He was covered entirely in damp cobalt, almost blending into the blue and black bruised surroundings.

"N-n-nothing..." She quivered, now feeling extremely cold again.

Not only was she beginning to actually feel extremely cold, but now she was slightly frightened—who was this strange person?

His skin was the color of the moon, and his hair was even darker than the darkness, if that was even possible—a deep obsidian, with two black pinpoints where his almond-shaped eyes rest, sharply contrasting against his skin.

"No, you were doing something with your fingers. What was it?"

The light above her flickered.

"I-I t-t-told you…I wasn't d-d-doing anything!" She whined, clutching her knees tighter against her chest.

Hyuuga Hinata was not only quite shy and timid, but she had a stutter that never seemed to leave her when she encountered something or someone she had never seen before—cold weather or not.

"You're a bad liar," the young boy countered, and he moved closer to her.

The light stopped flickering, and in turn, dimly lit up the bench where the young girl was. She cringed at the light.

When her vision cleared, she saw the boy before her, as placid as ever.

He was older than her, probably by a year or two.

But he looked familiar.

Then it dawned on her.

Ah...

"Can I sit?" He asked, but it was more of a statement, as he sat next to her before she could give an answer.

"Why are you out here so late?" His eyes studied her profile, as she refused to look him in the face.

"Be-because I want t-to." She murmured, chewing on her bottom lip.

"You should be home, you know that right?"

Had she been braver, she would have countered with a snarky remark, like, "You're one to talk," or, "Who are you to judge me? I can go where I want!" But instead…

Hinata nodded dumbly, "Ha-Hai. I-I know."

"So…go home."

How rude.

"N-n-no, I'm fine w-where I a-am." She fiddled with a strand of hair, trying to keep herself preoccupied.

"Aren't your parents looking for you?"

She shook her head.

_No_.

"I bet that they are. So go home. This is my bench."

The nerve…

"N-no it isn't. I-I don't see y-your name on it."

"It doesn't have to have my name on it to belong to me," He turned away from her and looked at the sky, "and stop stuttering, it's annoying."

She felt tears well in her eyes. Why was he being so rude to her? She hadn't done anything to him! In fact, she was being pretty polite…

Hinata whimpered, trying to hold back the tears.

The young boy sighed, "I know I'm being mean, but if I don't tell you, no one will. Be happy that I'm being honest with you."

He obviously thought that he was twenty years old rather than ten.

"I-I'd p-pre-prefer if you d-didn't even t-talk to me…" Another whimper. The tears were going to spill soon.

"Fine," He coughed, ragged and scratchy, hinting that he was sick or had been, "but I'm not leaving. I've been coming to this bench for two years."

Now Hinata felt like an intruder. A silly, immature intruder into this young boy's space. He was two years older than her, so much more worldly and mature.

He spoke as if he was much older than he really was.

"T-then I'll l-l-leave," the young girl slowly unfolded her legs, and lowered herself off of the bench.

His hand stopped her.

"Are you sure you'll be okay walking home alone at this time?"

She nodded, and tried to tug away.

He let go easily, his grip dissolving, and let her walk away.

**XXX**

Hyuuga Hinata got home at exactly 3:38 am, and slid in through the back kitchen door. She slowly walked down the hallway, passed the living room, and countless doors leading to countless rooms. She entered a large hallway, and sofly slid down it, tking extra precautions to not be too loud as she walked past her younger sister's room and her father's room.

At the end of the hall rested her own room, and once inside it she feared that she would succumb to a dangerously deep sleep if she didn't get into her bed.

She had pushed it staying out so late, she should really have just come home when the first few lights had gone out. But it was so nice, that solitude. It made her feel like she was the last person on earth, like the whole universe belonged to her.

However, it was only when Hyuuga Hinata was sliding underneath her covers did she begin to think about the young boy. She asked herself—why did Sakura and Ino like Uchiha Sasuke so much?

She didn't see anything good enough to fight about.

He was mean and rude, and wasn't anything special.

But on the other hand, the young girl felt herself blush at how he had grabbed ahold of her elbow, and actually made sure she was okay with walking home at such a late hour.

**XXX**

**NEWSFLASH**!

Uh…wow, that kind of sucked. And it was short. Haha, I'm kidding, there's a lot I didn't like and a lot of it I did like—but it WAS short. Anyway, maybe you enjoyed it a lot, if you did, PLEASE drop a review, maybe if I get enough I'll continue it…I'll probably continue it if I don't even get a lot of reviews anyway. :P and for those who have been reading The Denial Twist, don't worry I'm working on it.

In fact, if you did read this and enjoyed it—go and read my other story, the Denial Twist.

Thank-you. (:

-_**p0g0**_

**P.S.** I know, their ages are different, Sasuke's ten and Hinata's eight, and yeah they sound pretty damn mature for their ages, but Hinata's sort of like that, and Sasuke's always been proclaimed as a "genius". Plus Sasuke's just like that. Eh. Sorry for any OOC.


	2. You're

Melting Spring

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p0g0stick

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**Aww**** thanks you guys for the reviews. (: (:**

**I decided to contin****ue the fic, mostly due to**** the reviews and I got a plot going in my head. So...let's see how it goes, eh?**

**The rating might rise from T to M around chapter 5 or 6, only because there will be a lot of cursing...eh, but that's no biggy, right?**

**There's also going to be a bit of confusion in this chapter and the next one, but just hang on, because by chapter four it should all come pretty clear. ****I'll explain the majority of this at the end of this chapter.****Thanks again for the**** reviews, you guys are awesome. :D**

**XXX**

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Naruto, or the lyrics I put in the summary (they belong to The Raconteurs). I do, however, own this plot/idea.

**XXX**

Uchiha Sasuke always was told he was much wiser than his appearance gave belief to.

He didn't take it as a compliment, truly, because he didn't believe it.

Staring into his bathroom mirror, he ran his hand through his messy hair, tugging at tangles with his fingers.

Then he traced the deep bruise-colored circles below each eye.

What ten year old had circles underneath his eyes? Surely he wasn't the only prepubescent child that had them…

Screw that.

He wasn't just any 'child'.

In fact, he wasn't even a child; he seemed to have skipped that time period. Somewhere in between toddling through his mother's garden at two years old and the five 'leisure' miles he had run this morning…Uchiha Sasuke had grown up.

Just how, when, and where…he couldn't exactly pinpoint.

Maybe it had been when the…_thing_…had occurred, that's what everyone else in the village would say. It wasn't like they didn't talk about it anyway.

Most of the time he pretended that he didn't hear them when he walked by, but he did. He heard every single word that was murmured, muttered and whispered. Sometimes, he'd get irritated, but usually he just became embarrassed.

But he wouldn't admit to that, because he wasn't a child, he was a man (in some weird sense) and wasn't going to be embarrassed by the smallest bit of idle town gossip.

Every now and then he'd glare at passer-by's when they made excruciatingly heated comments, upon which he could not accept.

The towns people did not realize how much it was for a single child to take, all of the rumors that were spread, the dirty words written on bathroom walls at his Academy…and the way that people looked at him, that 'look' of sympathy on their faces…

"Hm," he pushed his bangs back. He hadn't had a shower in two days…maybe it'd be wise to have one, his hair was beginning to become oily, and the sweat from the two runs he had taken earlier weren't helping. The young boy's clothes were also full of liquid and dirt from the slush leftover from the winter.

Had his mother still been here she would have drawn him a bath twice each of those days, including this one, and made him wash every single crevice on his body, even the sensitive area behind his ears. Then, she would have collected his clothes and washed them too in warm water with jasmine scented suds.

But his mother wasn't here, and as far as Uchiha Sasuke was concerned he didn't need anyone to tell him what to do, or do things for him.

Plus, he took showers now, and not baths.

Baths were for children.

He coughed.

"I thought…that I coulda sweat it out," he groaned, and gave into the raw feeling in his throat, coughing bitterly another three times.

_I shouldn't have stayed up so late…_he thought, stripping himself of his high-collared shirt, shorts, and then his under garments.

It wasn't his fault that it had begun to snow in the early morning, he thought that the snow would be ceasing. It was a few months away from spring, after all…

Stepping into the tub, he pulled the shower curtain across and reached for the nozzle, giving a brief cough before turning it.

He wondered if the Hyuuga girl had gotten home alright. She was probably going to be feverish for the next couple of days, have a pretty bad cough, but maybe then that would keep her away from his bench.

Too lost in thought, Uchiha Sasuke didn't realize that he had turned the nozzle too far to the right, and gave a loud yelp as scalding hot water burnt his skin.

**XXX**

"My throat hurts so much!" the young Hyuuga Hinata moaned, rolling herself into a ball on her bed, the sheets bunching together with her form.

"You've seen how the weather has been, Hinata-chan," the curtains were pulled away from the window, revealing a soft morning light, "it was foolish to go out on one of your little trips last night."

The maid busied herself collecting Hinata's hamper and taking the clothes from it to be soaked and washed.

"A-ah…g-gomen nasai, Misa-san," Hinata murmured. It wasn't like the maid would have heard her anyway; she was halfway down the hall by now.

Even if Hinata was sick, she would still have to go to her lessons today. Her governess, Nakamura Inoue waited for no one, no exceptions.

The young girl felt as if her throat was constricting, like she had just swallowed a box of nails and they had each scraped her esophagus as they made their descent to her stomach.

It was pain, in its purest form.

Not to mention one second she felt incredibly hot and then the next, she felt as if she was being tossed into an ice-bath.

"I don't want to get up," the young girl sighed, flinging the covers off of her to feel the soft air of the morning, streaked with a wind chill of low degrees.

She stared up into the blue of the sky, and saw the moon hanging by a single string, still just a thin crescent.

And then Hyuuga Hinata drifted back to sleep.

**XXX**

The Academy halls were the same as they were every day. Filled with students, age's seven to twelve, all continuously chattering and bickering, yelling and then whispering in hushed tones. It never changed.

Every single day Uchiha Sasuke had walked through those halls, nothing. Had. Changed.

There were still the girls, who made beelines towards him, the boys, who glared at him, and then there were the rest who just shrunk away from him, fearful, disgusted, or just plain uncaring.

He felt as if the streets with their vendors and shoppers, quietly murmuring amongst themselves was better than this school.

And for the 47th time that day the young boy decided to ask himself why exactly he was inside this hell hole when he could just be running circles around this city, working a sweat, pushing his limit…

But instead he had chosen to dress in clean clothes after his shower, brush his hair, and walk to the Ninja Academy just in time before class began.

Despite his young age, Uchiha Sasuke inwardly wished that he could just keep running. But running wasn't the answer to everything.

**XXX**

A veil of cobalt cloaked the sleeping town, and Hyuuga Hinata sipped her tea and honey sagely (as sagely as an eight year old could be) staring outside, watching the sky contort and metamorphose from day to night.

She finished and stared at the cup. It had swirling patterns drawn on its sides with thin blue ink.

Inside, remnants of tea leaves gathered in damp clumps along the inner rim at the bottom, and she fingered them with her index finger.

"Another cup, Hinata-chan?" the elderly maid leaned behind the young girl picking up the teacup gently.

"N-no th-thank-you, Misa-san, demo…" Hinata swallowed, gulping down the thick scratchy feeling in her throat. It hurt so much, and the honey had only slightly numbed it. The remedy that had been prepared in the town hospital was due to arrive by hand delivery soon, but it was slowly becoming unbearable.

The young girl sniffed, and sucked on her bottom lip, trying to desperately hold back the sobs.

"…d-demo, I a-a-am going to r-re-retire to my room," on two shaky legs, she rose and began to clumsily walk towards the hallway entrance.

"Alright, Hinata-chan," Misa continued picking up after the little girl.

Once the maid knew that the young heiress was well out of earshot she sighed,

"She's going to end up just like her mother."

Snow began to fall.

**XXX**

Uchiha Sasuke sipped the chicken broth, and it stung his tongue, making him withdraw from the bowl as he hissed in displeasure.

"Ah! It's so hot! Stupid broth," he grumbled and shoved the bowl back onto the bar; digging into his pocket and retrieving crumpled currency and coins, slamming them onto the counter.

For the better half of his health, the young boy had shrugged on a dark jacket and zipped it up as he left the food stand. He never usually cared about what he wore, but he figured that had his mother been alive she would have forced it onto him, then given him matching mittens, a hat and a scarf.

But there were a few things wrong with that.

One, as he had stated before, he didn't need anyone to do anything to him, mittens were for children, and he didn't look good in hats.

His tongue stung.

A lot.

He had probably just burnt it and would have to suffer for a good twenty four hours until it healed itself.

Sasuke picked up a wad of freshly fallen snow and shoved it into his mouth.

Not the most hygienic thing to do, but unlike many other continents and countries, such as Rain Country, the snow was not polluted and when freshly fallen completely safe to put inside ones mouth.

Of course why one would want to do so was unfathomable, especially with numb fingers and the wind chill nearing the 5 degree mark.

The young boy slowly sucked on the mound of flakes, and they melted quickly and easily within a few seconds.

That'll do for now.

Slowly, pedestrian traffic was beginning to slow as people gathered their new purchases, took their children by the hands and left the streets, it getting too dark to be too sure if it was safe or not.

Before he had decided to come to the bench, Uchiha Sasuke had gone to Konohagakure Hospital (KoHo as many of his rather witty classmates had nicknamed it) and bought aspirin. He was developing a rather bad head cold.

His feet shivered in the boots he had instead worn, as they collided against the inside material, which was growing cold as muddy slush and freshly fallen snow stuck to the outside.

Right now the streets had mostly cleared and were mainly littered with jounin and chunin returning home from small missions, deciding to hit up sake bars before they signed in with the Hokage.

And of course, as usual, the regular thugs, drunks and beggars emerged in the alleyways, but they never bothered him.

They had better not.

Moonlight shone and guided him over to the bench, allowing it to glimmer with an iridescent glow.

And no young girl to invade in his personal space.

Maybe this was a sign that it was good to come early?

It was a good 6 hours earlier than last time and she wasn't here.

He sat on the wet bench, letting his jacket mop up the majority of the liquid and still semi-solid snow.

Staring up at the night sky, he watched as a set of yellow balloons glided overhead.

Then the weight of the bench shifted, and the young boy groaned, deeply perturbed by this intrusion.

"Why are you back?" He licked his dry lips.

She didn't answer right away, and for a split second he was worried it wasn't her and someone else, that would be very embarassing...

"B-b-because, Uchiha-san, th-this b-b-bench doesn't b-b-belong to you-u." She sniffled as a thin dribble of snot exited her nostril.

Ugh, the Uchiha grimaced, she was such a child.

He wondered if Hyuuga Neji had been like her. Sniveling, stuttering…

There was a slim chance.

But that Hyuuga had at least proven to be rather intelligent, he doubted that this one, Hyuuga ancestry and all, was smart…

Plus, she was a girl. Girls weren't smart.

It would throw off the universal balance and send the world out of whack.

"Well, pass me a knife and I'll carve my name into it. Better?" He never took his eyes off of the balloons.

"A-ah, d-d-demo, Uchiha-san…that's not a nice thing to d-d-do,"

"Don't."

"D-d-don't what?"

"Don't say my name, look...just go, alright? Leave, please, there are tons more benches on this stupid strip."

She didn't speak for a while and a deadly silence consumed them.

He hadn't felt the bench shift…had she actually left, though? Maybe a peek wouldn't hurt…

Out of the corner of his eye he watched as she, dressed in a nightgown with a jacket obviously too large for her petite frame, and rather big galoshes, stared down at the ground.

She sniffled and hiccupped.

Was she crying _again_?

Another hiccup, guess so.

"Look, I didn't mean to make you cry—"

"N-n-no Uchiha-san, I…I, it's not you, it's just…"She cradled her small face in her even smaller hands.

Oh, so now he'd have to comfort the answer out of her? Sympathize with her?

"It's what?" He grumbled, staring up at the sky as fresh snow began to flutter downwards.

"I…m-my throat hurts a-a-a lot-t-t…" she broke down into sobs.

"Well, you're from a branch of the Hyuuga household, aren't you? Go get some decent medicine."

"I…I a-am..."

"Then go get it," He coughed.

"I don't…I w-w-wouldn't want to…I d-d-don't want th-them to know how sick I-I am..."

"Why not?" Gods she was getting on his nerves.

"B-b-because I...I d-d-don't want to t-trouble...p-people with my problems..."

"Then why the hell are you still talking to me? Because if you hadn't noticed…"

"Y-you're cruel." She snivelled.

"And you shouldn't be outside in this weather, go home. I bet your parents are worried about you."

"My d-dad isn't," she rubbed the sleeve of her jacket across her nose and eyes, smearing the liquid.

"Well, then your mother is, so stop making her worry." He was getting tired of seeing his breath as he blew it out.

"I d-d-don't…my, my mother…" She sniffled again.

Oh dear God.

"Well then wherever she really is now, I bet she wants you to go home and get better."

This must have struck a chord with the young girl, because she stopped snivelling, coughing, moaning and what have you.

A slight tug on his own jacket alerted him that she was still present.

"What?"

"Uchiha-san…may…can you; may you take me h-h-home?"

He stared at the little girl, seated beside him, her nose and cheeks an unhealthily bright pink against pallid skin, her light lavender eyes bloodshot around the iris from her tears, making the colourful undertones stand out eerily.

"Why would I do that?"

"B-b-because…you offered to last night," She took a deep breath and winced, "a-a-and…I don't think I c-c-could wa-walk…" Her bottom lip began quivering, and she closed her eyes, gulping, trying to rid herself of the thick viscous feeling in her throat.

You see, for Uchiha Sasuke, the answer for this was simple.

"No."

See? Simple.

But, for Hyuuga Hinata…

"F-f-fine!" She sniffled, "you're so w-w-weak, I bet you couldn't do it anyway!"

Uchiha Sasuke bristled at the mention of weakness directed towards him.

"WHAT! AM NOT!" He growled, glaring menacingly at the younger girl, "Take it back!"

"I d-d-don't wanna!" she sneezed.

"Take. It. Back." Now he was getting angry. No one called Uchiha Sasuke weak.

No. One.

"No!" She cried, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest.

"Well if I'm so weak, why are you asking me to take you home!" He coughed bitterly.

"I d-don't see anyone else around…" She sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Maybe…maybe taking her home couldn't hurt, right? After all, he did want her out and off of his bench, and this would keep her away for a while especially if she was extremely unwell

With shaking hands, he locked his arms around her waist and lifted her up, stumbling slightly because despite her petite frame she was still heavy, even for him.

"A-ah…Uchiha-san?"

"What?"

"Th-this is un-uncomfortable…" Cough.

He sighed.

Only because it was.

So, he placed her back down on the bench, and instead kneeled down.

"Climb on my back."

"O-okay."

Once the young boy felt her weight atop his shoulder blades and her feet wrap around his lower torso, he took her hands and made them hold onto each other below his collarbone.

"Don't let go or else you'll fall and I won't come back for you, 'kay?"

She sneezed in approval.

As the streetlights began to dim, and the snow began to fall softly again, the duo walked, breaking the physical wall that had been built between them.

**XXX**

At the Hyuuga compound, Uchiha Sasuke placed the younger girl onto the slick sidewalk, iced over by the cold weather.

"Wake up," he shook her lightly. When her eyes dully opened, he continued, "Where is your room?"

"I…It…a-ah…it's th-through the third window on th-the le-left, down the hall and…the third room on the left." She rubbed her sleeve across her nose and appeared to be nodding back to sleep.

"Hyuu—Hyuuga!" he shook the young girl again, only this time more fiercely.

"Ye-yeah?" She blindly acknowledged him.

"Is that the ONLY way to get to it?"

"Without…wi-without waking my d-d-dad…"

Snore.

Well, at least he got to use his ninja skills.

Lifting the young girl again the way he had earlier, he walked towards the window and gazed up at it.

Now, Sasuke had not reached puberty yet and was a small four foot eleven, and this window was up. High up, possibly at six feet...and the Hyuuga was even shorter than him! How the hell was she able to reach it?

"There's a l-ladder..." she murmured into his ear, her hot breath causing him to shiver.

"W-where is it?"

"Behind the tree..."

Another blast of warm breath.

At least it thawed out the shell of his ear, he was sure if he tugged at it, as frozen as it was, it would break off.

The young boy sat the girl on the snow-dusted grass and went behind the tree, pawing around the trunk for a ladder.

When he had retrieved it, Uchiha Sasuke set it against the wall, and lifted the young girl again, this time putting her on his back again and making her secure herself.

This was strangely exhilarating, and the Uchiha found him enthralled in his first 'official' mission—breaking and entering the Hyuuga Compound! What fun!

Once he had pushed the window's glass open and had lowered him and the young girl, he followed her previous directions down a hall and into the third room on the left. The whole house, from what he had seen, was basically the same. White walls with polished wooden floors, portraits painted with watery colors hung from walls alongside scrolls.

The young boy was amazed at how alike the Hyuuga compound was compared to the Uchiha one...only; the difference was that the Uchiha one now had dark brown stains on the walls, peeling paint, and the occasional loose nail or shard of glass.

He opened the door that the girl had told him, and encountered a wide, white room. A four-poster bed with frilly white doilies, white embroidered pillows with patterns of flowers.

So much white!

Obviously, Uchiha Sasuke decided to just lay the girl on her bed and get the hell out of there.

Placing her on the bed, he pulled the quilt and sheets over her form and instead of trying to climb back up the window they had entered in, he left through her own bedroom window which was lower and wider.

Why she didn't do out that way he'd never know, it seemed silly to go through all of the trouble of getting the ladder, putting it back, climbing to reach the high window...

The next morning, the Hyuuga gardener was perplexed at why his ladder wasn't where he had left it, and the Hyuuga housekeeper's were questioning the dirty shoe prints that had stained Hinata's bedroom wall.

**XXX**

**NEWSFLASH!**

_Wow what a sucky-arse ending, eh?_

_(Is__ pelted with eggs from readers)_

_OWIE!_

_Okay, yeah, I'm sorry, that was a pretty awful chapter..._

_But since I love you guys SOO much..._

_CONTINUE READING._

_:D_

**XXX**

**1 Year, 9 Months Later...**

**November**

"You're early."

"No, you're just late," Hyuuga Hinata stared up at the owner of the voice. She was seated atop the paved sidewalk, poised with a novel in her hand.

The young girl had found a new interest in books, and was fascinated especially by young love stories.

Too bad that when you're only nine years old, you tend to get lost up in the whirlwind of kisses, hugs, flowers and teddy bears with felt hearts in their paws that read **I WUV YOU**, and don't consider the trials that lovers and soul mates have to endure.

"What're you reading this time?" the book was plucked from her fingertips as Uchiha Sasuke flipped through it.

"It's just a book—"

"_Ophelia_?" the young boy grimaced, contorting his face, "sounds boring."

"Is not!" the younger girl demanded, waving frantically to try and grab it from the Uchiha's grasp.

"Is to, I say it is, so it's boring," he grinned wickedly at how she tried to reach for it, "have it, I don't want it anyway." Finally, he gave it back to the girl, then sat next to her on the sidewalk.

"You wouldn't know what a good book is anyway, you don't even read! I bet you don't know how!"

"No way, _I_ go to school! _You_ don't." He leaned his elbows onto his kneecaps, "plus, you're a girl—what can girls do?"

"Anything boys can do." The young girl folded a crease on the page she was currently reading to save it for later.

"Yeah, right." He stared across the street, at papers blowing in the late autumn wind.

There was a small silence, one that wasn't awkward, they had gotten over that within the 11 month period that the duo had known each other.

Usually, and Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't admit this, but he actually looked forward to these small conversations they had while next to or on the bench. Hyuuga Hinata was the only girl he could actually tolerate—and she was younger than him! Imagine that, having to deal with a cry baby, and a decent conversationalist at the same time.

"So how is the Academy?" the young girl pondered poking at a crack in the sidewalk with a decaying twig.

"Boring, stupid, and I want to quit, but I have to get better so I guess I can't skip it," He watched as she traced swirling patterns in a patch of dirt next to the bench.

"'Course not, you gotta beat your brother," It was strange, how much she actually knew about him right now. They were only children, but their minds were so complex and sucked up things like sponges.

The elder boy nodded.

"You know, soon I won't be able to come and see you a lot," He began to whistle.

Tweet, tweet...

"Why?!" the young girl demanded, suddenly stopping her activities with the twig and dirt.

"I gotta go on bigger, important missions, become a chunin an' stuff." Tweet. Tweet. Tweet.

"Oh. Neji-nii-san has to do that too, I guess," She continued tracing patterns in dirt.

"Why aren't you?"

"Hyuuga Heiress' aren't allowed to go to school," she sighed, "everyone there's scary and would terrify me anyway..."

"Eh, they scare me too," Tweet.

"But you're brave..."

"I know I am," and he smiled smugly, pausing in his whistling.

"So why do they scare you?"

"No reason."

Another silence blanketed them, and instead the duo stared at the sky, watching as it turned a bright blue to a deep indigo. Silence was just fine for now.

**XXX**

**1 Year, 9 Months Earlier...**

**February**

After that time that Uchiha Sasuke had carried Hyuuga Hinata home, he was extremely surprised when she showed up on the bench the following evening. She was still as sick as ever, as was he, and coughing brutally.

Her nose was a sore red and her eyes were bloodshot.

"Go back home," he had said, "I'm not carrying you again, you're such a burden."

Instead she had ignored him, seated herself, and stared up at the sky.

He spent the better part of that night wondering why this stupid girl was so intent on spending time with him.

"Why do you keep coming here?"

"B-b-because...I like sp-spending time with you..." she trailed off.

It was true. Hinata was alone all the time, unless she got to see her cousin, Hyuuga Neji or her toddler sister. However, usually she was with her governess or Misa.

"But I prefer to be alone."

"I know, I used to t-too...but I'm never a-around anyone else outside of my family," she breathed in deeply, and ended up coughing a few more times, "I'm always alone...d-don't you get s-sick of it?"

The young boy had to think about this for a few minutes.

It was true; he got tired of the world revolving around little him, seeing him in the mirror, not having anyone to talk to other than the idiots at school.

"I guess," He sniffed, mostly because his nose was beginning to get stuffed up from his cold, "so why aren't you allowed to go to the Academy? Neji goes..."

"I'm a Hyuuga heiress...we aren't a-allowed."

Uchiha Sasuke let the words sink in.

She was a Hyuuga heiress!

So that explained a lot. The outfits she wore, why she never came here in the daytime, how she had to sneak in a different window other than her own...

Well, it just explained some stuff.

"Ah."

"Yes," and that was the end of that conversation.

"Well...I am the Uchiha heir—"

She cut him off,

"I-I...I know..."

Of course she knew.

Everyone inside this town, inside this continent, this country, even BEYOND...they KNEW.

It was irrevocable, and she was also a Hyuuga heiress so she probably knew quite a lot about the other clans in this country and the rest, probably had to memorize names of clan heads, branch houses, clan blood limits, deaths and births, everything...

"...yeah..." was the only thing he could say. Just 'yeah'. What else could he say? And he knew she wouldn't prod, despite her being a young child who would constantly want to know every sordid detail.

Just like the towns people, who probably knew more about it than he did.

The wind blew, and the street lights dimmed.

Snow hadn't fallen since last night, and surprisingly enough the sun had come out of hiding that day, and shone for a few good hours before disappearing again.

"I'll leave you...for now...I think..." the young girl spoke uncertainly, slowly edging off of the wide bench until her feet touched the ground, "good night, Uchiha-san."

He almost offered to take her home again, but paused and decided against it.

"Bye..." she began to toddle off down the sidewalk and instead he jumped off of the bench and ran to her.

"Wait, girl, what's your name?"

She looked up at him, eyes unblinking and confused.

Why did this boy want to know her name?

"Hyuuga Hinata,"

He let her continue on her journey, but constantly checking to make sure she was safe.

After that night, it became a sudden ritual for Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata to meet together every single night following on the bench.

**XXX**

**1 Year, 9 Months Later...**

**November**

"I hate your cousin, he's a know-it-all," Sasuke murmured, picking up a snail shell and throwing it across the street to see how far it sailed.

"A-ah...he's...h-he can b-be nice...Neji-nii-san is really smart..." Hyuuga Hinata had still not gotten used to Sasuke's little outbursts, despite knowing him for almost a year.

"Yeah, but he's stupid at the same time," Sasuke grumbled, leaning against the bench's back. They had both traded the sidewalk for the bench; Hinata still gripped her novel and every now and then would flip through it.

"How so?" The young girl questioned, watching leaves spin in the chilly autumn wind. It was now late November, and soon snow would come back, and then Hinata would finally turn ten years old...the age Sasuke had been when they had met.

"He's smart, but then he's stupid when it comes to things other than school and missions and stuff," Sasuke eyed his companion as she too had begun to lean back onto the bench, still fingering the novel.

Had she heard anything he'd said?

"Hyuuga," he nudged her with his elbow.

"Uchiha-san...when is your birthday?"

What kind of question was that?

Truth be told, some years Sasuke completely forgot his birthday, mostly because he never celebrated it. It was also in the summer, so the girls who mooned over him usually stayed away, too busy lounging by pools and lakes, having sleepovers, and god knows what else girls do in their spare time.

"July," He sucked in a deep breath and watched as he exhaled and it turned ghost-white in the dark air.

"How come you never told me?"

The young boy shrugged, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.

"Why? Not like it would have mattered. I forget about it sometimes anyway."

"B-but...it's your birthday! Don't you want presents and sweets and—"

"I don't like sweets," Sasuke countered, and tried not to laugh when he saw the look of dread on the younger girls face.

"How...how can you not?"

"How can you? They are so thick and sweet...sickening." He cringed thinking about it.

"B-but..." Hinata was going to try and think of a plausible point but came up with nothing, so she just left it there.

The young girl was never one to continually argue, especially now that she was beginning to enjoy the young boys company. Although she had argued a lot before, now she just found it silly.

"...when is yours?" Sasuke asked, trying to replace the conversation that had been lost amongst all of their others.

"D-December."

"Ah...how come you never told me when it was your birthday?"

"Because...you weren't at the bench that day..."

Oh. That's why.

He felt sort of guilty for an unknown reason; a stirring in his stomach began below at the pit.

"A-ah..." The streetlights started to go out.

This time there was more awkward silence surrounding them.

"You should go home now. It's really late. I'll walk you," Sasuke stood up too quickly, and pulled Hinata's hand to get her moving.

"It's still r-really early, Uchiha-san, I'll be fine..."

"No, come, I'll walk you."

"Alright."

It was only when they reached the compound that Sasuke had realized he had been tugging her down the road and holding her wrist the whole way.

He then promptly let it go and walked to his house, respectively.

**XXX**

**NEWSFLASH**!

_AHHH, don't eat me please. I know, I didn't like this chapter too much either, but I have to build up the relationship if I want it to work. _

_Don't forget to review—PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE review if you read this, because I'm relying on reviews with this one fic. _

_While you're at it, hit up The Denial Twist because you love me so much. (;_

_Alright, now some explanations are in order; firstly I know there was a time jump. It started after the first part of the chapter, they jumped forward by a year and a few months. They had met in February a year before, then Hinata had been 8, now she was 9 and it was November meaning she'd be turning 10 soon. Sasuke was 10 and is now 12 already since his birthday is in July. Then they jumped back, I'm sorry, this fic will do that a lot, but it will totally satisfy in the end—I promise! (: (:_

_So basically if you can understand it, this is a fic about Sasuke and Hinata as childhood friends until we do MAJOR skip to when they are older, Hinata doesn't go to the Academy and is younger than the rest of the cast._

_I tried to get this out before V-day was over (everyone groans at commercial holiday) (: but it's about 30 minutes too late according to my time zone._

_Thanks again for the wonderful reviews so far, you guys rock! __Constructive criticisms are totally welcome, but remember: flamers are lamers. (:_

**UPDATE: Alright so I made the timeskips waaayyy less confusing. Well I hope it does make it waaayyy less confusing, it does in my eyes (: I'm sorry about all that confusion guys, and since I put the blame on things and people, I'll put the blame on Pedro Paramo, which I'm reading for my IB English Thingy, An excellent book I'ver taken a liking to it BUT I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT.**


	3. With

Melting Spring

x.x.x

p0g0stick

x.x.x

**Ahh! Thanks you guys for the bloody awesome reviews, you gave some awesome critiques and what have you. (:(: **

**You guys all rock!**

**Read 'n Review.**

**xoxo**

**XXX**

**DISCLAIMER: **I think you guys all know the drill by this time.

**XXX**

**February**

Night was approaching quickly, and Uchiha Sasuke found himself staring dumbly at the vacant side of the bench, eyeing it vainly.

Where was Hyuuga Hinata?

Was she coming tonight?

He hadn't seen her in the past two nights. Maybe she was really sick…

Sure, every now and then he'd have a quite bad coughing fit, but it wasn't anything to stay in bed over. He'd cough for a few seconds until his eyes began to water, maybe sneeze a few times, wipe his nose and done.

Then again, she was the Hyuuga heiress…maybe the elders had decided to keep her inside for the time being.

She was pretty weak.

For an heiress, that is, which was strange…shouldn't an heir to a clan be strong, versatile, vigilant, determined? He was, and he wasn't even the official heir! She seemed more cut out to be a princess in some far away castle other than a strong, noble clan head.

What did the elders think of her?

She was pretty small.

It must suck to be alone all the time like she was…at least he had acquaintances at school, more or less his peers. The poor girl, she had to be around adults all day and learn pointless historical facts that would be drilled into her mind, day after day after day…

She was pretty quiet.

Well, she had been. This was one of her more ladylike traits, along with how he noticed how she'd smooth wrinkles out of her kimonos and girlish frocks when she sat, stood or kneeled, or how she'd bow whenever she approached him.

The young girl would stay put, shut up, and rarely make a peep outside of their more in-depth conversations (of which they'd had very few of).

Now dusk had settled across the town, stars brimming across the sky's surface. There were more stars out tonight than there had been the past couple of evenings, and it made the atmosphere seem eerily lighter. It was as if the universe's light bulb had been changed. Clouds spun by like a mobile, due to the harsh wind that had decided to stay after the snow's passing.

It was a moonless night.

The Uchiha was getting aggravated, where was that stupid girl? For once he was actually looking forward to talk to her. He had stories from inside the Academy to share, and he worried if he kept them bubbling up inside of him, he'd collapse. The young boy had stuff to get off of his chest—and no matter how horrible they were; the little girl had listened the previous nights as if it was nothing.

Sure, there was always the option of talking to himself, or this relentless wind that kept shoving his overgrown hair into his face, but if anyone happened to casually walk by, the embarrassment would be great.

Not to mention they'd spread a rumor faster than a wildfire in the summer, and the Hokage's servants would come interrupting his solitude to make sure he didn't need a bone crushing amount of therapy.

One hour of therapy had been enough to last him a good fifty years.

He didn't need any more.

An agitated groan left the young boy's lips, as he slouched on the bench, exceedingly bored.

Before he had begun talking to this girl, he had been perfectly fine with the solitude. He would sit thinking about the day's activities, lost in his own world—daydreaming mostly, about what it would feel like to defeat his elder sibling, those sorts of sick fantasies.

However, after she had begun showing up, he found himself dreading their encounters less and less. The young boy did mind her stuttering when she talked, and how timid she seemed to get—Hinata let him walk all over her sometimes, and it was very annoying. Of course, he realized, the more they talked the less he noticed her weak personality traits and rather her stronger ones. Also, her stuttering seemed to dissolve, bit by bit.

A loud group of ninja's passed by him, joking drunkenly about going to the newest brothel in town and getting 'some'.

But the young boy shrugged it off.

Why were elder males so…disgusting? Was he going to be like that one day? Going to visit GIRLS to get kissed?

He never wanted to kiss a person.

EVER.

That was just gross.

Especially a girl.

Uchiha Sasuke folded his arms stubbornly.

But…what if this Hyuuga girl was really sick? What if it was partially his fault? She had said the reason why she kept coming back to the bench was so she could spend time with him?

Wasn't it horrible, being all alone all the time, with people who didn't understand you?

The young boy stood up, knowing exactly what he should do. It had come to him in a jolt, like many ideas do, only instead of a light bulb alerting him; it was more like a lightning bolt.

He wasn't really in the mood for walking, especially all the way to the Hyuuga compound, but it was better than sitting here in silence.

**XXX**

**December, 10 Months Later...**

Hyuuga Hinata sat perched on the bench, neatly groomed, swinging her thin legs back and forth as she waited for nightfall to approach. Her small hands were cupped neatly on her lap, and she was layered thickly with coats and jackets to protect her from the winter's chilly bite.

Everything around her was drenched in a dusky glow, as if it had been dusted over with gold from the setting sun.

Snow was melting along the crevices of the sidewalk parallel to her, and the slush light enough to be carried away was floating along its merry way into the Konohagakure drainage system.

Today had been an exceptionally good day, all things considered. The young girl had eaten a generous breakfast, tea and supper, although surrounded by the elders and her entire family—her father and her younger sister (who made a large fuss and was promptly scolded and chastised, despite her rather young age).

She had gotten presents, only a few though, and mostly silly things that children shouldn't receive, like large history books and scrolls, paintings, flowers and silk evening kimonos that even the young girl wasn't allowed to touch in fear that she'd ruin the fine material.

But nonetheless, she had gotten presents, and that was enough to completely and wholly brighten her day.

Nine year olds, although one large step forward to becoming a teenager, delighted in getting anything presented towards them, no matter how useless or dull they seemed to be.

Hyuuga Hinata wondered what Uchiha Sasuke would do when he found out it was her birthday.

He'd never asked her about it before, nor had she asked him about his, it was the polite thing to do. Maybe he'd just wish her happy birthday and that would be that. It had almost been a year since they met, and they were still just bordering on friendship status. Although he visited her a lot, especially during the time when she was ill, there was nothing more than just 'company' that rested between them.

But he was the closest thing she had come to a friend, and that was good enough.

Lights flickered on around the bars, stalls and restaurants, as did the streetlights, illuminating the street as it grew dark. Not many people were out; there had been more bodies out during the day, relishing the sunlight, but now that it was beginning to get cold again, they had all busied themselves going back home to prepare for the New Year.

What if the young boy had known it was her birthday today?

What if he had gotten her a present?

The young girl sighed and shook her head.

He didn't even know what month it was, let alone would he know when her birthday was, especially if she hadn't told him.

Hinata began humming a light tune, waiting for her companion's arrival.

**XXX**

The last time, sneaking into the Hyuuga compound had been a lot easier.

This time, however, it was a lot more "funner".

Slowly, the young Uchiha padded down the hallway, counting the doors as he did so.

"One..." _Not her room_.

"Two…" _Not her room._

"Three…" …was this her room? She had said the third room, right?

Or was it the fourth?

He eyed the third and fourth doors precariously, and instead, slowly opened the third door, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw a large white bed, just how he recalled, with a small lump in the center.

Sasuke tiptoed into the room, sliding the door back into place as he approached the bed.

The young girl's hair, which had usually been pulled up away from her face, was loose and scattered around her, like a soft crown.

Tendrils slipped off her pillow and shoulders as she lightly moved her head.

Her breathing was even, he noted, but every now and then she'd sniff, and then cringe. She was breathing shallowly through her mouth.

The young girl's nose was red and sore, as were the rings around her eyes. Red, swollen, and glossy. Her fingertips would grip the sheets every now and again, and the young boy found himself sucking in a breath, worried that she'd awaken and find him here.

Sasuke had never really admitted it before, but she seemed like an ethereal fairy. Small, delicate, skin soft and pale it was almost translucent and eerie, features minute and slightly angular.

The young boy wondered how sick she really was. How long had she been sleeping for? Did she even wake up that entire day? Did she awake once within the past two days? Or did she just sleep? She had shown up the evening after, but there was a good chance she had slept since then.

She was so different than him. He was constantly muddy and always needed a good scrubbing, and she had been polished and flawless.

Was this girl even real? He'd touched her hand before; he'd carried her on his bag and lifted her also.

But was she even alive?

All that told him that she was still breathing was the sound of her exhaling, and the sniffing she did every now and then.

If he touched her cheek too forcefully, would it crack like a doll's? Would he smear it with his dirty fingertips?

Tentatively, his fingers found her cheek.

Then fleetingly, left it…but soon flew in for another touch.

It felt _warm_.

Too warm, a sickly warm—but altogether warm, and it felt really nice against his frostbitten fingertips.

Her face twitched and contorted, and he withdrew immediately as her light eyebrows furrowed. When she relaxed again, he laid his entire palm on her cheek again, the warmth seeping into his already calloused skin.

Her face didn't contort, but instead, her delicate hand came to rest atop his, securing it on her feverish cheek. The young boy didn't draw back; too stunned that he hadn't noticed Hinata's own hand slowly approaching his.

It seemed like a taboo, her hand over his. His young heart's pace quickened, and his hand trembled.

Pulling away, he began to leave, but her quiet muffling stopped him.

"Misa-san, why did you do that…" her voice trailed off, soft as a feather in the wind.

It took the young boy a few seconds to gain his composure and find his voice to answer her back.

"Do what?" He padded back over to the young girl, still asleep in her bed.

"Take away your h-hand…my head…it hurts…" her voice was nasally, but demanding.

"I'm sorry."

"Misa-san…is it m-morning yet?"

Now it was obvious the girl hadn't arisen, at least for that entire day.

"No…it's just become nighttime a few hours ago."

"A-ah…" she coughed hoarsely into her left hand.

The hand she had touched him with.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. They were clouded over by tears of pain, pain from her headache and her cold.

Her eyes opened wide, allowing tears to escape.

"U-U-Uchiha-san…" she coughed again, this time more brutal than before, "w-what…what are you d-d-doing here?"

Hyuuga Hinata was extremely shocked to see the young boy here, why, she was positively sure that she was going insane, and felt like screaming and dashing to hide in her dresser.

But, she was in a lot of pain, and the young girl was pretty sure her mind was playing tricks on her again.

Earlier that day she had awoken with a start, thinking that there was a giant snake slithering around her room. But instead, it was just Misa-san placing a tray of tea and Hinata's painkillers onto her bedside table.

"I came to…" if he said he came to check on her, his pride would diminish greatly. He wasn't ready for that.

"I came…because…ah…it…" he came up with an excuse, "because it was boring at the bench, and I figured that you must have been really sick."

"H-hai…" she murmured, closing her eyes again, wondering when this hallucination would end.

The young girl would most likely wake up and see her elder cousin, Hyuuga Neji glaring her square in the face, and then lecture her for waking him up at such an indecent hour or disturbing his studies.

"U-Uchiha-s-san…"

"Hai?" He asked, watching as she gripped the sheets tighter in her grasp, "c-can you k-keep your hand on my forehead…p-please?"

Even if it wasn't Uchiha Sasuke, Hinata still wanted that lovely, bitter cold to be placed onto her skin again.

"H-hai…" the young boy stalled, slowly letting his palm rest against her forehead.

He had to lean across the bed to reach her, like before.

It was strange, now HE was stuttering. There must be a horrible draft in her room.

She pressed both of her small hands onto his one, savoring the feel of cold against warmth.

However, it was becoming uncomfortable for the young Uchiha and he instead tried to pull away, and slowly, the younger girl let him.

Once he was sure he was still alive, the young boy sprinted out of that room, and didn't stop running until he reached his home.

**XXX**

It had been about three hours.

Three hours, Hyuuga Hinata had been sitting on the bench, and humming to the wind.

It had gotten gusty within the past 45 minutes, and clouds had rolled in diminishing the moon's glow.

Skeletons of tree's whistled and cooed at the bursts of wind, and the puddles along the streets with fully liquidized water rippled excitedly.

Hyuuga Hinata was a very patient girl. She tended to have a high tolerance level, wasn't one to hold a grudge, and usually kept to herself a lot.

This was natural.

But inside the deepest, farthest, blackest pit of her stomach, something tweaked.

She felt sad.

Where was her companion tonight?

Had he not shown up tonight purposely—he knew it was her birthday? Maybe Neji had told him, and Sasuke just avoided this night for that sole reason, to not have to face her on her birthday.

'_He probably just doesn't know…simple as that…it's not like he has to see you every single day of your life…_'

Her thoughts trailed.

The moon revealed itself again, as the large mass of gray clouds passed by, and the young girl decided that, although it was her birthday, it would be in her best interest to get a full night's sleep.

Uchiha Sasuke? Well, that was okay. He probably had important Academy stuff to do…important Uchiha stuff to do.

She had to remember that, the world did not revolve around her, but instead, she revolved around the world, just another human being, another soul, passing the world by.

**XXX**

Morning lights were sheathed beneath the young girl's blinds, but a few rays still managed to dissolve through.

Her nose was plugged, her throat was dry and scratchy, and she had a slight headache, but other than that…she had felt the best she had in the past couple of days.

Moaning as a figure entered the room, Hyuuga Hinata sunk deeper into the covers, raising them far over her head in an attempt to shield herself from whoever was coming to wake her.

With her luck, it would most likely be Misa-san, bringing her morning tea and medicine.

Hinata hated that medicine.

But, apparently, it was going to make her better, and she obediently took it every morning or evening.

"I know you're awake, come now Hinata-chan, time for the medicine," Misa patted Hinata's head above the covers after she had lain a tray just below the young girls feet.

"I don't like the taste of it…" Hinata murmured, coughing atrociously to state a point that she felt the medicine wasn't working.

"You're in a stubborn mood today, aren't you?" there wasn't an answer, "come now, Hinata-chan, that's why I put sugar in your tea when you have to take it so that it isn't as vile."

The young girl whined some unattainable words.

"What was that?" Misa sighed, beginning to walk to the door.

Hinata threw the covers off of her,

"It just makes the tea taste bad, Misa-san," the young girl groused, but regretted using so much energy as she fell back onto her mattress, her head aching.

Misa-san left it at that and closed the door.

As Hinata took the small cup of medicine, she grimaced and threw it down her throat, refusing to move her tongue in fear of tasting the atrocious liquid.

The tea wasn't scalding, but lightly warm, so it was easy to drink as she tried to remove the taste of the medicine from her mouth.

"I hate medicine…" she whined, curling into a ball under the beds covers again.

"Too bad, you have to take it."

The young girl's eyes widened and she gradually lifted the covers from her form.

"A-ah…Uchiha-san…what are you doing here?"

It was utterly amazing how fast her stammer came back, full force, whenever she was with him. He had heard her talk to Misa perfectly normal, and he bet that she could converse with any family member and talk fluently and without stuttering once.

But yet, whenever he came around, she would slip up every now and then, but especially when he first greeted her.

Plus, she had talked fine last night…why was she stuttering now!

"Hai," He acknowledged her acknowledge of him, "I'm here because…"

Then the young boy stalled.

She had questioned him this same ponder when he had visited.

Did she even remember his visit?

"…you haven't been at the bench, so I guessed that you were really sick."

She nodded, sitting upright in the bed.

Uchiha Sasuke had not actually meant to come here again. Instead, it had been his own brilliant idea to completely avoid the younger girl on the whole. She was a girl after all, why should he hang out with her? And as far as he was concerned, it was all a dream when he touched her cheek.

A dream, simply a dream, nothing more and nothing less, and it only proved his point further since his companion had seemed to forget it also.

Had she not forgotten it, he would have probably ignored her for the rest of the year and then when he couldn't stand the Academy any longer, would eventually come around to her at the bench.

He'd still sit at the bench, but only at specific times when she wasn't around.

"So, why do you hate the medicine so much again?" He asked, picking up the cup her dose had once been in.

"It t-tastes h-horrible…"

The young boy grimaced, feeling a twitch coming on,

"Stop stuttering! It's so annoying! You sound so helpless when you do that!"

If the young girl had been taken aback from the young boy's honesty and hostility, she didn't show it.

There was a beat of silence.

"Well?"

"W-well what, Uchiha-san?" The young girl looked up at him with naïve eyes.

If he stared into her eyes too long he'd probably see his reflection staring back.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Hyuuga?" he demanded, hands folded across his chest, glaring at her.

"N-nothing, Uchiha-san…May I ask why? Should I have s-something to s-say?" Her eyes blinked back at him mockingly and he grumbled, droning on under his breath about how this was a large waste of his time.

The young girl, instead, motioned for him to sit on her bed.

He just stared at her, and there was a long beat.

Then he sat, but only because he had been running all morning and was slightly fatigued.

_Slightly_.

"You're sweating and breathing hard, Uchiha-san," not a single stammer, and because of this, Sasuke relaxed emotionally—but not physically. He was as stiff as a board sitting upon this girls mattress.

"I just ran around the city."

"Y-you…you ran around K-k-konoha?"

Ha! She was shocked!

Why should she be though? He could do anything.

"Yeah, I do it, like, every day," he smirked smugly, feeling rather full of himself.

"I-I wish I could…" she sighed, playing with her fingers in her lap.

"Well, you're the Hyuuga heir…aren't you supposed to train and stuff to be really strong?" His smugness had evaporated and instead he was interested on what she had to say about being a female Hyuuga heir.

"H-hai…b-but it's just me and my father the majority of the time…I'm a female, we aren't given much…thought." Hinata kept staring at her fingers.

"But there are Kunoichi…"

"None are Hyuuga heir Kunoichi…"

This too was true.

There weren't a lot of Hyuuga's at the Academy, bar Neji and a few others.

Speaking of Hyuuga Neji…

"Where is your cousin?"

"A-ah…Neji-nii-san?"

"'Nii-san'?" His eyebrows rose at the suffix, "so he is your brother?"

"No…he's…like a brother," although this was slightly true…he at least treated her like a little sister. He found her bratty, insignificant, whiney and childish.

Probably how the Uchiha saw her.

It was also how Neji saw Hinata's younger sister…but Hinata, somewhere, in the tiny crevices of her mind, thought that too.

But she'd never voice that opinion until she was about thirteen years old.

Slowly, the young girl began to close her eyes, the medicine making her feel heavy and drowsy.

"Hyuuga…Hyuuga!" Sasuke barked as her head lolled next to his arm.

She didn't answer, and instead, let it lay there as she began to fall back to sleep.

There was no movement, no talking, complete nothing for about six minutes.

Uchiha Sasuke sighed, and instead stood on all fours on the bed, kneeling as he pulled the covers up to the younger girls chin.

He sort of understood that the way he felt around this girl, was the way his elder brother had felt around him. Saw him as a festering sore, a burden…but still felt a pang of loyalty and companionship anyway.

And that's why he was pretty sure he'd not leave her, at least until summer came calling.

**XXX**

As Uchiha Sasuke left the Hyuuga compound, large pebbles of hail began to fall.

Neither he nor the young girl had noticed that beyond the door to the room, three beings had their ears pressed against the doors form to try and listen into the young children's conversation.

**XXX**

**NEWSFLASH**!

_Ahh, wow, this took forever to type…but I did it!_

_And it's only twelve pages, how disappointing. :(_

_But it's got lovely, bubblegum-cherry-ice-pop-unicorn-fuzzy fluff, right at your service._

_Anyway, hoped you enjoyed it enough to leave a lovely review—please, I LOOVVEE reviews, they keep this particular story thriving. (:_

_Show some love._

_Thanks again!_

_p.s. Yes it jumped again. It switched between when it was Hinata's ninth birthday, and back to a few days after they had met. Ugh. Sorry it's so sloppy. Also, this chapter is VERY raw, I have to check it over. (:_

**UPDATE: Yeah sorry about the horrible confusingness that was the time skip. :( Sorry guys, I decided to give you some help with some indication of when the timeskips are happening. They meet in February, then it timeskips to December on little Hinata's birthday (chorus of AW's). All I can say is that...blame my IB English World Literature book-Pedro Paramo. If you haven't read it you probably don't want to and I won't even tell you to go and read it. However, I've taken a strange liking to it. :D**


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